Unveiling the Shadows: A Journey from Imitation to Self-Discovery and Love

I was reviewing some entries in my notebook and came across one about imitation.

The definition of imitation is the act of replicating or mimicking the behavior, appearance, or characteristics of someone or something, often with the intention of emulating or resembling the original.

In layman’s terms, individuals want to replace and/or be you. This mindset causes a being to live in the shadow, the result of the lost in the sauce of this world’s societal programming.

Society tends to put people (aka icons) on pedestals, that we then imitate in our daily lives. As a result, we dim our light so that theirs may shine brighter, a fall into the shadow. There is no need to exalt another being over yourself. You too can be just as bright, but you’ve got to do the work. You have to be willing to change.

Many times, those who imitate will call themselves you and then turn around and clown you for who you are because they have actually become the joke after all. They are not being themselves, but this is why we call it manipulation. For example, the message society has broadcasted to the black woman: she isn’t beautiful and she is the least desired out of all women. Yet, women of different cultures/ethnicities are cosmetically changing themselves to resemble a black woman. And this is a fact! This is manipulation at its finest. This will cause you karma (negative vibrations), dimmed light. This is an example of how people imitate you but turn around and tell you that you’re not worthy, yet you were worthy enough to be imitated.

Here is the thing, observe the situation and look to see yourself in it somewhere. Trust, you are in there. If it has your emotions tied up, then it is a reflection of you. When you find yourself in the midst, what is the first thing you think? A lot of responses will surface; you usually embrace it and shower empathy, compassion, and understanding, to then release that we are mere reflections of each other.

Pay attention to those people, places, things, and situations that draw intense emotion within you. These are not just negative emotions that I am speaking of; positive ones are also included in the equation.

Healing begins now that you asked the hard questions of yourself and looked at it objectively versus emotionally. This is when the answers will flow. They will not come from another recognizing truth for you but from you recognizing truth for yourself. You’ll know when you hit pay dirt. And eventually, compassion will flow and forgiveness and empathy. And this is the truth of discovering self and having self-love.